Preservation North Carolina and the Preservation Durham have begun to work with sellers in the East Durham National Historic District to preserve and rehabilitate its wealth of turn-of-the-century residences. The houses in this area represent an important piece of Durham’s history, largely based around its historic mill industries that helped spur a vibrant local economy through the first half of the 20th century. Now, as housing prices in the Triangle have escalated, real estate markets in Durham have made in-town locations desirable for both businesses and residents. Proximity to such projects as the successful American Tobacco development in downtown Durham and Research Triangle Park will make East Durham an attractive location for homeowners. Revitalization of the neighborhood will bring more amenities and the proposed commuter rail station at Alston Avenue will help the area grow, but it will be neighborhood residents, new and old, that will ensure East Durham’s success.

History

East Durham began to grow with the construction of the Durham Cotton Manufacturing Company in the 1890s along Pettigrew Street. The area began to flourish as the Durham Bobbin and Shuttle Mill, Golden Belt Manufacturing Company, Durham Hosiery Mill, Durham Fertilizer Company, and the Chatham and W.C. Carrington Lumber Companies located there. In 1902, a trolley line was extended into the neighborhood along Angier Avenue and Holloway Street as far as Driver Street. At the 400 block of Driver Street, the Durham Ballfield was built to encourage ridership and to provide a home for mill team rivalries.

The area boomed until the Great Depression, when several mills closed, and the trolleys were replaced by buses. In 1938, the flagship factory in East Durham, the Durham Cotton Manufacturing Company, finally closed its doors. However, the diversity of the area’s economy held it and the booming tobacco factories helped provide work for displaced mill workers.

It was these mill workers, along with tradesmen and merchants that bought land and built houses in the booming East Durham area. The earliest houses were Queen Anne and their more modest cousin, the Folk Victorian, built largely between 1880 and 1900. The next style of houses built were the Craftsman—either bungalows or cottages—or Foursquare, built between 1905 and 1930. After this time, Tudor style houses and Post-War cottages dominated the new building. After WWII, the dynamic of the neighborhood changed, with much of the housing switching from owner-occupied to rental housing. Though most of the historic houses are still standing, many are in need of renovation.

Today

This historic area has many Victorian, Craftsman, and other styles of houses built around the turn of the century. The houses in the East Durham National Register Historic District are a great opportunity for enterprising homebuyers to live in well-crafted and historic houses close to a quickly growing downtown Durham and the Research Triangle Park at an affordable price. Homeowners are eligible for state and federal tax credits ranging from 30 to 40 percent on their rehabilitation investments. With traffic starting to choke the Triangle region and the median home values in Durham at over $175,000*, the easy highway access and short trips to downtown Durham and the Research Triangle Park, these houses are a great investment opportunity.

*from National Association of Realtors, Median Sales Price of Existing Single-Family Homes for Metropolitan Areas.